REVIEW #314 The Creator (2023)

As a future war between America and the worlds Artificial Intelligence rages on, the machines create a power that could end the conflict. It’s down to ex military man, Joshua, to locate and destroy AI’s last hope.

In a year full of amazing movies, The Creator stands out above the rest, a perfect futuristic action sci-fi that blends humanity and reality with the ever present topic of artificial intelligence. From the premise you might just see this as yet another man versus AI action feature but it offers so much more than that! At the heart of this film is humanity and ironically it’s not humans displaying it. It shows the dangers of western tyranny and that plot point plays on the audiences heart strings as they reel you in to this emotional rollercoaster. There is multiple points throughout that will have you in tears and the chemistry between John David Washington and the young but brilliant Madeline Yuna Voyles is out of this world. I think it’s clear why Gareth Edwards set most of the movie in south east Asia, subconsciously it just took me directly to the vietnam war conflict and the devastation during that time, similarly the film is led in the same direction with the horrific acts of the American forces and I think that certainly helps create the raw emotion you face when seeing the events unfold in the movie.

Now the cinematography I knew was going to be great, I saw a number of promo stills before seeing it and it looked spectacular, so I expected big things and it certainly lived up to those expectations! Greig Fraser is going to finish has career in the same esteem as Roger Deakins, he’s a genius when it comes to cinematography and brining sci-fi and surrealism into reality and making it look like something you’re witnessing out of you window! It’s that sense of realism that makes this film so special and the visuals play a huge part in that. 

If you have followed me long enough you know I’ve always said, for a film to be a 10 out of 10, it’s got to appeal to my personal preferences and recognised bias. In this instance it’s a futuristic action scifi, dosed in realism, with one of my favourite cinematographers at the helm… so it had all of the ingredients for greatness. It’s fair to say, it worked for me and I am, for now, giving it a huge perfect score. I cried, I laughed, I was on the edge of my seat and I was blown away by the visuals, the soundtrack and the performances. So bravo to Gareth Edwards because I think you might just have created the film of the year for me, so thank you!

Overall (10/10)

Thanks for reading!

Callan